They have faced each other twice this week without producing a single goal, but the period of caution and retreat is over for Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United.
Saturday’s MTN8 semi-final second leg (Orlando Stadium, 8.15pm) between the Buccaneers and Matsatsantsa has to produce a winner, and fans who’ve witnessed both teams huff and puff this week – first on Sunday in the first leg and then in a league fixture in midweek – will be relieved that a single goal will ensure the match is decided in normal time.
Only another 0-0 result can necessitate extra-time and, having played to two successive scoreless results, Pirates and SuperSport surely cannot afford to sit back and dish out the kind of desultory football witnessed from them this week.
But someone who is not too fazed by the 180 minutes of no goals is United ’keeper Rowen Fernandez, who came off the bench in Wednesday’s league game to replace Ronwen Williams. “From a keeper’s perspective, it’s good,” he said when asked if the scoreless draws reflect badly on both teams. “You have to give credit to all the keepers who’ve played in both fixtures: myself, Ronwen, Senzo (Meyiwa) and Moeneeb (Josephs). Not conceding shows that we have been able to control our defences.”
While Meyiwa is expected to make way for Josephs in the Pirates line-up, Fernandez will keep his place as Williams, the United No1, has been ruled out through injury.
“It’s nothing major,” Fernandez said of Williams’ injury sustained in midweek. “It’s just concussion and he should be fine after a couple of days. On the positive side, it’s my turn to get a start in such a big game. I have been waiting patiently for this chance and hopefully I can help the team to the final.”
The veteran goalminder actually kept United in the game by pulling off a brilliant save late in Wednesday’s match, giving him much-needed confidence going into Saturday’s clash at Orlando. “I’m happy that I was able to keep a cleansheet for the rest of the game. I made one crucial save and I know that as long as I don’t concede (tomorrow), we have a good chance of being in the final. We have seen enough of them and we know where their strengths and weaknesses are.”
Pirates have had an excellent run at Orlando, having lost just once there all of last season, but they have an even more scary record in the MTN8, as they have not lost any of their past 10 matches in the competition. The last team to beat Augusto Palacios’s men in this cup were Ajax Cape Town in the 2009/10 season, with Pirates going on to vanquish the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows to win the last two editions.
But Fernandez remained confident that United could stop Bucs’ march towards a third successive final. “There’s no doubt that Pirates are a quality side, but with the squad Gavin Hunt (the SuperSport coach) has assembled, we should be able to challenge the double treble champions – that’s what they call themselves these days.”
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns face a mammoth task in Sunday’s other semi-final second leg, having to beat Swallows for the first time in a cup match to secure a place in the September 22 final. Sundowns captain Teko Modise conceded yesterday that the Brazilians would have to defend better against the Birds after conceding soft goals during the 3-3 drawn first leg.
“Our defence has been a worrying factor, and that’s surprising because last season we had one of the best defensive records. Hopefully we can win on Sunday,” Modise said. – The Star